Amsterdam Has a Giant Problem With Hand Grenades

Residents are waking up to the epidemic use of these explosive use by gangs.

I didn’t know what to expect, but the first time a held a live grenade I was paralyzed with fear. I could only think that when I pulled this pin; if it rolled out of my hand by accident, how it would blow the half of me apart, and then the man standing next to me.

That was years ago as a young Army recruit, and I thought I would never see one again. Today, I live in Amsterdam, and for the last decade, the city has been trying to reconcile a tale of two cities.

One the one hand, according to The Economist Amsterdam is known as one of the safest in the world. But on another, the city has been struggling to stem the use of these weapons to intimidate businesses.

The cases of use in hand grenades isn’t a surprise

Because in 2017 alone, there were 22 cases of grenades being found by pedestrians. With some of those incidents, the grenades have been intentionally set off on the doorsteps of businesses. 2018 saw no better. That year their use exactly doubled. Only six months into 2019, there were already an incredible 22 cases.